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Retro Computer Room Fun


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My Daughter has left the nest for some time now so I decided to pack up her bed and move in!

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Now I have a bit of space to do some board work. Amstrad monitor set up ready for the CPC and my good old trusty Turbo XT on the end playing a bit of Alley Cat and some other game...

Plan is to install some blackout curtains and desks to set up more computers and maybe some consoles!

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I just cobbled this together from bits. This is my higher end rig for playing games around the 2000 era.

IMG_20200316_183633.thumb.jpg.b86253e19d1ddf459e703844a9262b25.jpg

its running a Pentium 3 1400 with a Winfast Geforce 440 mx and Creative Audigy 2 ZS.

IMG_20200316_183731.thumb.jpg.83ddb89e684d492bfa94d3103f399263.jpg IMG_20200316_183811.thumb.jpg.f79eaa9c48cf019a562ef8e284c10b6f.jpg installed good old Windows 98SE

IMG_20200316_184054.thumb.jpg.9c815577275f2387d1f8e20a2a2b318b.jpg IMG_20200316_184217.thumb.jpg.a921e3943b6d7886b1ee0ef814173b9a.jpg

Found this classic in my pile. This is a game I really wanted to go back to.

The P3 1400 really is an impressive processor. The graphics card is a bit overkill but it runs this game silky smooth.

I've pretty much got all era's I care about covered now from the 8088, 386 and 486, socket 7 and now Socket 370. I just need more cases.

Bit of bummer a lot of my PC133 ram seems dead. Anybody got a spare 256 meg stick handy? 😀

Time to load some more games up. Any period correct suggestions?..Mechwarrior 2? ☺

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I was playing Mechwarrior 2 on my Pentium 200MMX, so it's a bit earlier than your current build. Mechwarrior 4 came out in 2000, so that would be a more period accurate choice (but nowhere near as good of a game).

 

For an early 2000s gaming beast, I would be loading up Thief 2, Deus Ex, System Shock 2, Baldur's Gate II, Commandos 2 (which they just remade in HD), Morrowind, just to name a few.

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Hmm you've given me an idea. Makes me want to fire up the DX4 100 and see how Mechwarrior 2 runs on that. I haven got a case for my socket 7 yet 😕

Everything was progressing so fast back then as soon as you bought a new rig it was out of date.

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@Andyj965 and I recently went to a LAN at a mate's place. Eight people and eight Pentium 133 to Pentium 166 builds. All original hardware, all CRT monitors.

 

We played a shitload of Duke3d, Shadow Warrior, Blood and Carmageddon. I'd say the hit of the day was actually Carmageddon, it's a lot of fun multiplayer. Lots of crazy shenanigans.

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I got mechwarrior 2 in 95 for my birthday

 

we had a p75 then. Now im playing again on a p2 266 mmx that was on kerbside. Ive added 32 meg video and a white ide dvd rom

 

bonus it has usb so all games i run mostly off a usb stick.

 

loving blakestone and mw2 atm

 

 

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I got mechwarrior 2 in 95 for my birthday

 

we had a p75 then. Now im playing again on a p2 266 mmx that was on kerbside. Ive added 32 meg video and a white ide dvd rom

 

bonus it has usb so all games i run mostly off a usb stick.

 

loving blakestone and mw2 atm

 

 

I got Mechwarrior 2 as a package game with an IBM PC my parents bought back in 1996. It ran buttery smooth on that P200MMX. So much fun. I used to stack up a ridiculous amount of lasers and would always end up overheating as I didn't have enough room for heatsinks :)

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@Andyj965 and I recently went to a LAN at a mate's place. Eight people and eight Pentium 133 to Pentium 166 builds. All original hardware, all CRT monitors.

 

We played a shitload of Duke3d, Shadow Warrior, Blood and Carmageddon. I'd say the hit of the day was actually Carmageddon, it's a lot of fun multiplayer. Lots of crazy shenanigans.

It was a great day. Had been way too long since I played those game
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Abuse is another good run and gun too

 

warcraft 2 has also held up well

 

Always preferred Starcraft myself. Homeworld is another classic.

 

Wow! Vintage pc running LSL. Cool!

 

I'm motivated to start taking pics of my collection and whats inside. That NEC V20 is one of my favorites.

Hopefully others might share also.

 

 

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still have fond memories of playing Voyager elite forces in 3D, 120hz CRT with shutter glasses, I think it was running on a Pentium 300A running 450Mhz and a 3DFX voodoo card.

simply awesome fun, totally immersive.

 

Have you been playing with your IIe of late?

I wouldn't mind a Voodoo 3 but they are up there in price,

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Have you been playing with your IIe of late?

Sadly no, I have a few to fix now. Did get a late model //e mainboard from the states though, pretty cheap.

maybe in my days of isolation it may happen, if I am in that situation.

 

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Hmm you've given me an idea. Makes me want to fire up the DX4 100 and see how Mechwarrior 2 runs on that. I haven got a case for my socket 7 yet 😕

Everything was progressing so fast back then as soon as you bought a new rig it was out of date.

 

My very 1st PC after the Amiga and also the very 1st game I bought with it. Runs great on a DX4 100 with 8meg ram :)

  • Blood
  • Doom
  • Duke Nukem 3D
  • Command and Conquer
  • Quake

Brad

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I put the P3 aside of all things I can't find an cd audio cable for it :confused:.

Next computer I have set up is my Apple IIgs Rom 3

IMG_20200317_170718.thumb.jpg.5cf95b3ea5a1fec05754e6ddb5d168e8.jpg

Originally a Rom 1 i bought a cheap battery damaged rom 3 board off ebay years ago. Repair log is on AA somewhere. System is running GSOS 6.0.4

Monitor I imported from the states so its running on a small stepdown.

I've given up trying to retrobright my machines, it never stays white for me.

IMG_20200317_170255.thumb.jpg.51e7634513d92fda58952a10fb4e3ca1.jpg IMG_20200317_170321.thumb.jpg.537288319d09434c7d9e839e9f06afc3.jpg From left to right

Original Transwarp GS accelerator at 8mhz. I modified the old 8k cache board to 32k and upgraded the rom. Works well.

CFFA3000

Ram expansion

I also have a stereo card for it but not installed.

 

IMG_20200317_171450.thumb.jpg.747a565cd0a79889dcebfb8037266b73.jpg IMG_20200317_171645.thumb.jpg.b3e765faa516e19559928aa2c06f3c6f.jpg

Probably the best versions of Sierra's AGI games exist on this system.

 

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Overall a very unique system. The graphics, colours and sound are amazing and backwards compatibility with old Apple II software is a fantastic.

The GS has a few negative points. No hardware sprites or scrolling and crippled cpu speed. Theres an intetesting story behind that last point which is worth googling.

In conclusion the IIgs isnt a nostalgic favorite but a favorite non the less.

 

PS. I posted this with the mobile browser version of AA. Really happy.

 

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[ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"custom","height":"355","width":"355","data-attachmentid":2118515}[/ATTACH]

This is the type I'm chasing.

 

Pretty sure I threw some of those out a couple of months ago. I'll hunt through my stash and see if I have anything left.

 

Brad

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Next up and just because its already in here is my Amstrad CPC 6128. I bought this computer from the UK for a really good price before GST and the poor AUD ruined all the fun.

I also serviced the monitor and put a new belt in the 3" drive.

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I've got no nostalgic attachment to this computer however since collecting retro computers I've gained a lot of Interest and respect for the UK computer scene. I've also got the original CPC 464 with integrated tape deck.

The defining thing about Amstrad was their all in 1 design. There's only one power cable to the monitor where the the computer. The monitor supplies the power for the computer. A very neat and tidy design however the computer itself is very long and takes up a bit of desk real estate. CP/M is another interesting feature.

Graphics are colourful and reminds me of the Sega Master System pallet which look far nicer than the C64 however no hardware sprites and scrolling unlike the C64 though.

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Another strange thing is the 3" disks this thing uses.

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I got a bunch of games that came with them, some of which don't work :(

Overall another nice addition to the collection although I wouldn't call it a favorite it's still cool to own.

It's really worth going to Youtube and watching some history videos on Alan Sugar, Amstrad and the UK computer scene, a very interesting subject.

IMG_20200318_171835.thumb.jpg.5191d526ed469be77de4767cd451efc0.jpg

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